Internet Developers - tell me if this is a mad proposition

JaneyMacetc

Hi There,
I am a business owner working in the insurance industry and i have an idea for a new insurance related online business (commercial). I have a proven market, an underwriter and just need to build it, but on a shoe-string.

I want to hire a developer for the duration of the build project & get them to come to my small-ish town in Ireland and work on this from nothing to launch day and beyond.

I have a background in ecommerce development myself, so i think between us we can spec the project. I can offer this person free accomodation (in their own house) and 3-6 months secure employment, and hopefully something awesome for their CV. It could be a permanent position.

Are there developers out there who need work or who would up-sticks to the west? What kind of money are we talking on per annum basis? Work would be Design, build, back-end, reporting, ecommerce integration etc.......
All advice appreciated.

RedXIV

The problem here is you aren't looking for one person really:

Work would be Design, build, back-end, reporting, ecommerce integration etc

For a proper commercial website that people are going to trust, you need either a few students in each area above or an extremely talented developer who would command top dollar.

You MAY get more luck appealing to students looking for an internship or summer work, especially if you can give them a house and a few quid but to be honest, the biggest issue most entrepreneurs have is most of them don't realise how many tech disciplines there are and how varying each one is.

RATM

OP you basically seem to want people to work for free. You don't seem to mention giving them any equity in your company so I don't fancy your chances of getting this off the the ground, people have bill to pay after all. Even if you were offering equity in the company you're not likely to have a highly motivated developer when he doesn't get a pay packet every Friday. When things go wrong it is very easy for the developer to just walk away as there is no money to keep them there.

If you can't afford to pay a developer in Ireland then I'd suggest you check out freelancer.com or odesk.com and project manage it from here yourself.

Mrs OBumble

Why exactly do you need them to come to your small town to do the work,when there's this amazing thing called the internet that lets people collaborate over wide distances?

Now I know full well that 100% remote work ain't great.

But surely someone could visit you once a week, and use Skype for your daily "scrum"?

Or do you want to make sure they're working every hour that God created?

Mossess

I have a much better idea. You go to an Irish internet company based in a large city near you, Dublin, Cork, Limerick or Galway for example. You tell them exactly what you want and ask them how much it will cost. Then go to another company and price it with them. Pick the best one. Whatever it costs, pay them somehow. You will have your service up and running within a month. More importantly, you will be earning money within a month. You will be promoting employment within Ireland, you’ll be getting the service you want and most importantly: You won’t be messing someone about.
So in answer to your question, yes, it is a mad proposition and I’d go further and say it’s a disgrace in my opinion.